"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love." Hubert H. Humphrey
A scent of fresh citrus entered Perli's nostrils as she stepped into the dead house. Tired, she pushed shut the door and scanned the monochrome living area. The only things that added life to the space were the paintings and vases of plants. Once loved, she now didn't like it; however, didn't care enough to redecorate.
She exhaled a short breath, trying to figure out what to do first now that she was home. Taking her phone out of her bag, she dropped the bag and keys on the couch, before quickly texting her arrival to Liz, who replied immediately with a smiley emoji. With that out of the way, she walked into the kitchen to look for Maggie. She knew Jack wouldn't be in the house. Why would he when her presence seemed to always create some sort of tension?
All he wanted was an answer, her choice and she wasn't ready to give it. So, like a coward, she avoided him. He made things easier by shifting into another room; this had given her the needed space to think.
"Maggie?!" she yelled, her eyes searching through the kitchen while her ears attentively listening for any sound anywhere else in the large house.
"Maggie?!"
There was no response, but she heard a muffled sound of a woman's singing. Her face lit up with a smile and she made her way to the back door of the kitchen. It led to the garden that always gave her goosebumps because of its majestic beauty. The various plants, the marbled pathway, little parlour, and lights which lit both the pool and its surroundings could easily give a sense of peace to whoever decided to dwell in the place for a while. And it was there she spotted Maggie, sitting next to the pool with her feet inside the water. The constant movement of her feet created a small ripple in the still water. Her eyes were closed, and her face lifted towards the sky as her singing turned into a melodic hum. The bright sun beating down on her skin brightened up every inch of her face and the peaceful nature she portrayed brought a smile to Perli's face.
"Hello Ma G!" Perli shouted an enthusiastic greeting, waving at Maggie as if she were an old friend.
Maggie turned her head to the side and smiled at her. "Hello Perli!" she responded to her greeting with a loud voice. "Come sit next to me!" she invited, tapping her side.
Pulling up her pants to her knees, then taking off her takkies and socks, Perli moved toward the smiling woman and knelt next to her. She then leaned forward and dipped her fingers into the water, sensing its temperature. Feeling a little satisfied by it, she sat and sunk her feet into the water.
"You're back early today madam," Maggie remarked the moment she sat down, frowning a bit.
Perli checked her watch. It was only 2 pm. "Well, lectures ended early," she stated, smiling.
"Oh, I see." Maggie nodded.
"Haibo Ma G!" Perli suddenly winced and withdrew her feet from the water. She couldn't pretend to be comfortable with its coldness any longer. "How are you surviving this? This water is cold mos."
"Ngiyayithanda ngale ndlela," Maggie chuckled, drawing circles with her feet. "Why don't you go in for a swim?" she suggested, a smile of mischief on her face.
Perli laughed and shook her head. She wasn't ready to get all wet in her jeans and vest. She read off the mischievous smirk on Maggie's face. "Don't you dare," she warned, being fully aware of what the older woman had in mind.
Maggie lifted her hands to indicate no bad intentions and smiled amusedly. "Do you want something to drink?"
Her change of direction to the conversation made Perli furrow her brows. Hesitantly, she nodded and made her request, "Water please."
Maggie nodded. The mischievous smile remained on her face as she got up and walked back to the kitchen. Perli didn't like it; however, equally didn't put thoughts into what might be going on in the older woman's head. She directed her eyes to the water, admiring its bright blue colour and how it reflected the sun's rays. Inhaling the light scent of chlorine mixed with wood and grass that her environment produced, she hummed to herself as she waited for Maggie. It was then, in the quiet surroundings that the thought of Jack popped up in her head.
She shook her head, trying to erase the thought, but it wouldn't go. She hated how the thought of him always came: quick and powerful. However, this time it came with the echo of Liz's words. It was hard to not think about it: the sincerity in Liz's voice as she uttered the words and the concern in her eyes. Why did this friend of hers have to care so much?
She sighed. Resting her head on her one shoulder, she placed her feet back into the water and moved them back and forth. Consumed by her thoughts, she didn't hear when Maggie walked out of the kitchen; hence, was surprised by a pair of hands that shoved her, and she came crashing into the cold water. She screamed as sunk into the water that penetrated through her layers of clothing and kissed her skin. She then resurfaced, coughing out the water in her mouth.
Maggie laughed hysterically.
"Maggie!" she yelled, wiping the drips of water off her face. She felt the coldness of the water run through her spine, yet she didn't get out of the water. Shivering, she swam toward the edge of the pool and rested her arms on its warm pavement. Oh, how she was so going to kill Maggie!
"You said you wanted water," Maggie chuckled, shrugging. "So, I gave you water."
Perli rolled her eyes, her lips shivering as much as her body did. "Not this water."
"You weren't specific," Maggie pointed out with raised brows.
Defeated by Maggie's sense of humour, Perli didn't have a comeback. She crossed her arms on the pavement and with a little smile, stared at Maggie. Water endlessly dripped from her hair, running over her face as sweat. Her nose and eyes began to itch, and she knew soon she would catch the flu.
"Oh, Maggie, you are so naughty," she chortled, still unable to believe that she pushed her into the cruel and cold waters.
"Not as much as you are," Maggie quickly turned the tables on her, flashing a smirk that made her feel anxious.
Perli laughed it off. "Can I have my drink now?" She frowned slightly.
"Sure," Maggie replied. "But first, you better come out or else you're going to get sick." She noticed that the tips of Perli's fingers had begun to turn blue.
"So why did you push me in, then?" Perli rolled her eyes while her lips shivered uncontrollably.
"Don't roll your eyes at me young lady, else I'll drown you," Maggie threatened jokingly.
"You wouldn't dare," Perli gasped, then burst out laughing.
"Come on." Maggie gestured to her. "Get out."
Perli pulled herself out of the pool. Her clothing stuck at her like bubblegum on a shoe, and she began to shiver more than she did when she was in the water. She coughed, "I think I'm going to be sick."
"Told ya," Maggie clapped her hands, laughing. "Come, let's get you dried and warmed up."
Perli nodded, squeezing out the water from her clothing. She followed Maggie back into the house, struggling to move as her clothes stuck to her skin. Maggie requested her to wait in the kitchen while she ran upstairs to grab a towel. As she waited, she felt her nose water and was forced to continuously wipe it with the back of her hand. What irritated her the most was the itching of her eyes from the chemicals that were present in the water. Despite the itch, she didn't rub her eyes, because she knew that would only make matters worse.
In a moment, Maggie entered the kitchen with a huge towel in hand. Taking the towel from her, Perli expressed a smile of gratitude and thoroughly wiped her hair and face. There was no way she was catching a cold.
~•♡•~
"So, you wanted to ask me something?" Maggie reminded. They were out by the pool again; however, this time enjoying the warmth of the setting sun by the parlour.
"Yeah," Perli stated, taking a sip of the hot coffee that burnt her tongue in the process. To her dismay, she had caught a little cold and was determined to wash it away with a hot drink.
"What is it?" Maggie encouraged her to ask her questions, placing her elbows on the glass table they sat around.
Perli took a sip of her coffee again. "Not much," she beamed, allowing her words to sink in, before she could state her question. "I just need some advice."
"On?" Maggie tilted her head at an angle as she rested it on her hands.
Perli bit her lower lip and stared down at the steam that escaped from her cup. The heat of the cup burned her palm, leaving red marks on each of them, but that was nothing compared to the burn she had been feeling in her heart. She sighed, not knowing how to begin to ask. How does one begin to ask for marital advice?
"M-Maggie," so she hesitated, drumming her fingers on the cup. Exhaling, she lifted her eyes to meet the older woman. "You were married for almost thirty years, how did you do it?"
And there it was; the question that she didn't know how to ask.
Maggie furrowed her eyebrows as she wondered why the sudden question. When she saw the slight shame in Perli's eyes, she quickly replaced that with a smile. The young woman needed guidance and she was going to give it to her.
"Well," she thought out loud, trying to recall the rules of a successful marriage. "There's a lot of compromising here and there..."
"That's hard," Perli puffed a laugh.
"I know," Maggie laughed with her. "But I guess what really helped me through it all was the foundation we based and built our marriage on."
"Foundation?" Perli questioned, placing her mug down on the table.
"Yes, foundation. Look, love is good, but humanly love doesn't always keep people together."
Perli frowned.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, dear." Maggie gestured with her hands to eliminate any misunderstanding. "Love is extremely important. Without it, the marriage will be hard. But it can't be the only foundation you build your marriage on. There is a more important foundation that determines whether it will succeed."
Perli allowed Maggie's words to sink into her head. A foundation more than love? What foundation could that be?
When it came to her marriage, she had no idea what foundation it could be built on. It wasn't even love, that she felt so sure. Such an unstable marriage like hers could only be built on selfishness, pain, and heartache. What else could it have been?
"What foundation was your marriage built on?" she inquired, curious about the answer Maggie was going to give her. She grabbed her mug and drank her drink, waiting for the answer.
"Christ," the name left Maggie's mouth slowly and simply but took time to enter Perli's ears and register into her head.
When it did, she burst out laughing, choking on her drink. She couldn't believe what came out of Maggie's mouth. Christ? It was always Him, that was all she ever heard, and that was all Liz told her. Maggie had begun to sound like Liz.
Perli got a hold of herself and stopped laughing, as she saw the little smile on Maggie's face. "Wait." Her eyes widened. "You're serious?" she asked, feeling ashamed of the way she reacted.
Maggie nodded. "Yes, I am."
Perli stared down at her cup, too ashamed to meet her gaze. "And that kept you guys together?" she whispered.
"Yes, it did. Until he was called home," Maggie's voice was full of joy as she spoke. "Perli, God cares about us. He really does, believe it or not. That's why He likes to be included in all we do, but He wouldn't force His way into our lives, we need to give Him access."
"Now you really sound like Liz," Perli chuckled, slapping herself on her forehead.
"And how does Liz sound?" Maggie asked, showing interest.
"Religious?" Perli shrugged, not knowing which descriptive word was best to describe Liz. "She talks about God a lot."
"I see, and you don't like that?"
Perli scratched the back of her head. "I don't mind; it can just get overwhelming."
Maggie laughed, nodding, "I get you; it can be..."
Perli relaxed into her chair. "Don't get me wrong, I do believe God exists, but I don't think He will care for something as little as my marriage."
"As little?" Maggie raised her eyebrows. "It's funny how much you sound like Jack," she pointed out.
Perli shrugged. "Looks like we have a few things in common."
An amused smile evaded Maggie's lip. "Oh, my dear, you have a lot of things in common," she assured.
"Ha!" Perli clapped her hands. "I don't think so. Jack and I are two different people, from two separate and different worlds," she stated, using her hands to illustrate how far apart their worlds were.
Maggie chuckled, shaking her head. "So, you think."
"So, I know. I can start to list all our differences," Perli said so confidently, getting ready to draw the list of things that made her and Jack different.
"Please do," Maggie smiled, feeling intrigued. She crossed her arms and listened attentively.
Like a talented artist, Perli drew out her list of differences. Her words surprised Maggie. It was evident that the younger woman was made to believe lies. At some point, this upset her, but to not hinder her from speaking her mind, she chose not to show it.
"...I bet the only thing he ever had to worry about his whole life was what car to drive out of his father's many cars," Perli was ranting, her eyes glittering with rage. "I mean he was born into a wealthy family and both his parents are still alive. He doesn't even know what hardship is, he was born with a golden spoon. He didn't have to live with an abusive uncle, who loves money more than anything else and could freely sell you if he had to."
"Wow," Maggie's eyes were wide as she breathed. She did not know what else to say. She looked at the young woman, who sat across from her and wondered why Jack didn't tell her anything. "He." She frowned slightly. "He never told you, did he?"
"Tell me what?" Perli felt puzzled.
"Oh, boy," Maggie sighed. "Let's talk this over while preparing dinner."